Softwood Species

Australia has a number of native softwood species — namely, the conifers or cone-bearers — including hoop pine, celery top pine, white cypress, to name just a few. These species occur naturally and are grown in plantations throughout Australia, particularly in the eastern states and Tasmania. Other non-native softwoods, such as radiata pine and slash pine, are also grown extensively in plantations throughout Australia.

Australia has approximately one million hectares of established softwood plantations (mostly radiata pine) and about 70 percent of the softwood timber we consume is domestically grown, highlighting the ready availability of softwood timbers for the Australian building industry. One of the advantages of farming softwoods is that they grow very fast, meaning that they can be harvested and replanted within a relatively short period, providing a renewable source of timber and wood products for construction and other purposes.

Softwood timbers and engineered wood products provide specifiers and builders with products that are structurally strong, lightweight, easily transported and worked on-site. Softwood timbers, such as those from white cypress or Douglas fir, can have higher durability and strength ratings than many hardwoods. Common uses for softwood timbers include structural framing, cladding and panelling, benchtops, flooring, decking, joinery, beams and poles. Plywood, LVL, MDF and other products that utilise softwoods are popular in shop-fittings, furniture and cabinetry, for their appearance, thermal and acoustic properties as much as for their durability.

To find the right timber for your project, search softwood species using botanical name, common name or applications.